Make Stressful Flying Season Less So

This summer is shaping up to be one of the worst — if not the worst — for airline passengers.

Flightstats.com says saying June may have been the worst flying month of all time, and July isn't looking much better.

In June, cancellations were up 120 percent and delays 32 percent from last June. And the average delay for flights from July 1-15 was 59 minutes, though that's down a touch from 62 minutes in June 2007.

But on The Early Show Monday, Travelocity's editor at large, Amy Ziff, offered pointers to help viewers minimize the impact the season has on them.

She says you want to do what's needed to reduce your chances of getting stuck. The rub is that many of those steps will drive your costs up.

Why are things so bad this year?

Summer adds families and leisure travelers to the usual business passengers, often flying at peak times. Also, the air traffic system is taxed to the max. The government is trying to figure out how to overhaul the entire air traffic system, but it's currently severely strained, Ziff says.

ZIFF'S TIPS

Pack your patience! Expect delays and cancellations, and prepare for them. You can make it easier on yourself if you're just patient. Think in advance; call the people you're meeting on the other end. Don't plan a meeting the day you're flying if you can help it. Give yourself a really big buffer.

Fly early: This will help you beat delays and cancellations. Usually you can stay ahead of the delays if you're the first flight. We're talking 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. The only exception to that: If you're flying out of Northern California, fly a couple hours into the morning, because it's hard to get out with all the clouds.

Make sure you get a good night's sleep!

Fly direct: If you don't have a connecting flight, you have no chance of missing your connection. Many times, if you have a connecting flight to catch, the first flight is delayed, and you have to go to another terminal, and you miss the second flight. It used to not be a big problem; you could get on the next flight. But now there are so many other people flying that you can't get on another flight. These days, it's much more stressful. But again, you have to be willing to pay the price of a direct ticket.

If you can't get around needing a connecting flight, allow a minimum of two hours for layovers.

Bring Food and Water in case you get stuck on the tarmac. You don't want to be stuck AND hungry. Ziff suggests granola bars or trail mix, something that will keep and will fill you up.

Pack some snacks from home, but make sure nothing is considered a liquid, such as yogurt. Buy water after you're on the other side of security. Also, pack snacks that will keep. Trail mix is good. It will keep, and make a good stash if you need it. Also, consider your kids. What will they eat? Could be crackers, granola bars, protein bars; things that are easily contained. Also, be considerate of fellow passengers. They don't want to smell your food.

Register your kids if they're under 17 and traveling alone: Register them as "unaccompanied minors." All airlines have this option, and it's a way to ensure your child will be taken care of if something happens to his or her flight.

Is it necessary to, as some people do, ship toiletries ahead of time?

If you're taking a short enough trip, you just need to have small-enough containers. Really, that's no longer an issue people run into. What is an issue is people who are stuck on a plane: You need to be mindful of bringing any daily medications you take, for instance. Bring a change of clothes in your carry-on. There are increased baggage losses, so you want to minimize what the impact and frustration will be if a bag of yours goes missing. If you're flying in your jeans or sweats, bring what you need for your meeting on the plane. Bring the basic necessities with you.